Before the relaunch, we thoroughly document the current state of your website. The pre-launch audit captures all indexed URLs, current rankings, organic traffic per page, and the existing backlink profile. This assessment serves as the benchmark against which we measure the success of the migration. At the same time, we identify technical issues that can be resolved during the relaunch. The audit also provides the data foundation for URL mapping: Which pages drive traffic, which can be merged, and which are dispensable? The results are directly incorporated into the relaunch planning and form the basis for the post-go-live SEO audit. It is particularly important to document redirect rules that are already active on the old website. These must not be lost during the migration. That is precisely what SEO during a website relaunch is for.

The redirect strategy is the most critical part of any migration. Every old URL that has traffic or backlinks must be redirected to the appropriate new URL using a 301 redirect. We create the URL mapping based on crawl data, Google Analytics data, and backlink analyses. In doing so, we take into account not only web pages but also PDFs, images, and parameterized URLs, which are often overlooked. Before going live, we test every redirect in the staging environment. Redirect chains, where an old URL leads to the destination via several intermediate steps, are shortened to direct redirects. The Technical SEO team implements the redirects directly in the code or server configuration and verifies them with automated tests. A missing or incorrect redirect will cost you rankings. That’s why we double-check every change multiple times.

A relaunch is the best opportunity to clean up your content. We evaluate all existing content based on traffic, rankings, and relevance. Pages with thin content are consolidated or expanded. Outdated content is updated or removed. New pages are created where keyword research reveals untapped potential. Content migration goes beyond simply transferring text: We optimize headings, meta tags, and internal linking as part of the process. The result is a content structure that is more SEO-friendly after the relaunch than it was before. New content is created in parallel with the technical implementation so that everything is ready on launch day. Especially for large websites, we plan this phase several weeks in advance.

On launch day, everything must work. We use a detailed checklist that covers all SEO-related items: redirects active, canonical tags correct, XML sitemap updated, robots.txt published, Google Search Console notified. QA includes manual checks and automated crawls of the new website. We test the most important user journeys and verify that all internal links are working. Broken links, missing meta tags, and indexing issues are resolved before the site goes live. On launch day itself, we actively support the process, monitor server performance, and are on hand to make quick corrections should any unexpected issues arise. In the event of critical errors, a rollback may be necessary. Our QA process follows a strict checklist that we refine with every project.

The first four to eight weeks after go-live are critical. We monitor rankings, indexing, and organic traffic daily. We immediately identify and correct any loss of visibility, crawl errors, and missing redirects. Our monitoring includes Google Search Console, external visibility tools, and user behavior analysis. Regular reports show you how performance has changed compared to pre-launch levels. Minor fluctuations are normal after a relaunch, but sustained losses require swift action. We stay on top of things until visibility stabilizes or improves. The migration is considered complete only when all metrics are at or above pre-launch levels. The data from this phase also provides you with valuable insights for future optimizations.